Method and apparatus for adding chemical and dyestuffs to a dyeing machine



Dec. 24, 1968 J. L. CLAIBORNE 3,41 7,414 um'aon AND nmm'rus FOR ADDING CHEMICAL AND DYESTUFFS v TO A DYEING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 30, 1957 s R 9E E m I m m m M #m M 00 00 mm A f M L C t a LII L m $340528 32352". W 9 2 S R E W m Y E B zoom 35 v m mm & mm a IIIIIHIHWIIMW mm on Mu mm mn- 1 @N v25 22 Dec. 24, 1968 J. L. CLAIBORNE 3,417,414

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ADDING CHEMICAL AND DYESTUFFS TO A DYEING MACHINE Filed March 30. 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 EXPANSION TANK z o o m o E E. a

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r ORNEYS United States atent 0 3,417,414 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ADDING CHEMI- CAL AND DYESTUFF TG A DYEING MACHINE Jefferson L. Claiborne, Chattanooga, Tenn., assignor to Dixie Yarns, Inc., Chattanooga, Tenn, a corporation of Tennessee Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 609,258, Dec. 8, 1966. This application Mar. 30, 1967, Ser. No. 627,178

27 Claims. (Cl. 8-158) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A package yarn dyeing system particularly adapted for on-off program control including dye chemical add tank receiving a predetermined amount of diluting bath liquid before it is syphoned into an expansion tank and fed from there to the pump inlet feeding a kier. Further dilution and line washing are achieved by an add tank bypass line through which bath liquid is circulated. In one embodiment, the add tank fill line emanates from the pump outlet and the kier dome is tapped by an additional expansion tank feed line to enhance and speed up dilution uniformity.

Reference to other applications This is a continuation-in-part application of my earlier filed, pending application Ser. No. 600,258, filed Dec. 8, 1966, now abandoned, having the same title and assignee.

Backgro and The present invention relates to a package dye system and more particularly to a system for automatically adding chemicals and dye stuffs to the dyeing machine.

In the liquid treatment of yarns, it is conventional to stack a number of yarn packages of equal permeability in a housing or chest called a kier which contains pipes, tubes and conduits perforated for the forward and reverse circulation of liquids through the yarn. Liquid circulation is provided by a pump system and flow direction is controlled by a switch valve.

It has been common to provide an add tank next to but above the kier which contains the dyes and chemicals to be added and which is connected to communicate with an expansion tank through 21 valves line controlled by the programmer or other automatic or manual device. In an attempt to increase the dyeing uniformity, a circulating line tapping off high pressure liquid from the kier also feeds the expansion tank. A line connects the bottom of the expansion tank with the pump suction side so that the content of the expansion tank displaces the amount of liquor leaving the main kier circulation.

These conventional systems have not been free of technical or operational problems when used with automatic sequence controlled systems. It is generally known that concentrated chemicals or dyes when added directly to the dyeing machine cause severe upset in the chemical equilibrium of the system. For this reason, attempts have been made to control the rate of adding the new material to the expansion tank which attempts have not been entirely satisfactory because of the expense and extent of the equipment needed to accurately control the addition rate. Furthermore, the most common onoff program techniques now used in the art are not compatible with rate control valves as required to carry out this function, and with slow delivery rates, add material becomes deposited on the inner walls of the pipe line leading to the machine.

3,4l7Al4 Patented Dec. 24, 1968 At the completion of the addition, conventional systems require a flushing step. A water supply connected through a valved line to the add tank. is normally provided for this purpose. Water flushing is troublesome since the required large volumes of flush water tend to overflow the expansion tank causing loss of material. More importantly, when the flush water reaches the dyeing machine, a dilution of dye chemicals occurs which causes poor dyeing. It is also difficult to determine how much water is necessary to adequately flush the add tank to insure complete washdown since the rates of solutions for various materials are different.

Although conventional systems have been in use for many years and have produced satisfactory results according to the accepted standards of package dyeing, the new demands of higher efiiciency, higher quality, and automation require that other methods for the introduction of these chemical materials be considered. Thus, the search continues for improved methods and techniques of automatically adding dye materials to package dyeing machines without the problems encountered above.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved add system for the machines of the type described wherein the add tank is located above and preferably removed from the main system and wherein a syphon line is provided at the add tank to draw off liquid content therefrom only after the height of liquid in the add tank reaches a predetermined level. Another feature of the invention is the provision of a valved circulating add tank bypass line which provides a controlled connection from the circulating line to the top of the expansion tank feed line so that the latter and the expansion tank can be washed free of contamination by circulating dye liquid. Still another feature is to feed the add tank from a source emanating from the pump output and provide an additional line tapping the kier and supplying the expansion tank to further enhance the uniformity of dilution.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following etailed description of preferred embodiments thereof in con-junction with the annexed drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic fiow diagram of a system according to the invention.

FIGURE 2 is similar to FIGURE 1 but represents another embodiment of the invention. Like characters refer to like structure.

Detailed description of embodiments With reference to FIGURE 1, there is illustrated a package dye system 10 which includes a conventional kier 12 fed by a pump 14 through a How direction switch valve 16. One suitable example of such a kier is disclosed in US. Patent No. 3,097,515 to I. L. Claiborne. Valve 16 sets the fiow direction in accordance with the needs of the process.

In order to make additions to kier 12, an add tank 24 is provided which feeds expansion tank 18 through expansion tank feed line 19. Add tank 24 is preferably located at the drug room to facilitate easy filling and line 19 will most likely take a tortuous path with horizontal and vertical sections leading to the expansion tank location. The bottom of expansion tank 18 communicates with the suction side of pump 14 through delivery line 20.

It can also be seen that a number of add tanks 24 can be arranged in parallel with their own control valves so that programming can take place in successive tanks very quickly. This is to be desired from a standpoint of expediency and to favor the operator who must fill the tanks. It is also possible to construct these tanks in varions sizes so that materials which are normally added in very small amounts will conform to the size of the tank.

According to the invention, circulating line 22 taps pressure liquor from the top of kier 12 and delivers the same to the add tank feed line 26 or the bypass line 28 depending upon the setting of valves 30 and 32. These valves 39 and 32 as well as flow direction switch valve 16 and pump 14 are each automatically controlled by the remote program controller such as that disclosed in US. patent applications Ser. Nos. 373,463 now Patent No. 3,371,318 and 373,457 new Patent No. 3,358,161 both filed June 8, 1964 and owned by the present assignee.

Add tank 24 is fitted with a syphon tube 34 which draws from a sump 33 formed at the bottom of the tank and feeds the top of feed line 19 whenever the liquid in add tank 24 rises above the uppermost part of tube 34. An overflow pipe 36 delivers excess liquid in tank 24 to the top of line 19 and prevents unwanted spillage. Sump 33 assists uniform drawing and mixing of the add material.

Although the present system can be controlled manually, it has particular utility with and finds its best use in an automated system. The diameters of all pipes are suitably selected in relation to the desired flow rates and conventional shut otf valves (not shown) may be provided as desired.

In operation, a main circulation is established through kier 12 by pump 14 and flow direction switch valve 16. Depending upon the particular process. the programmed controller closes valve 30 and opens valve 32 to establish a minor outside continuous circulation through circulating line 22, bypass line 33, expansion tank 18 and back through line 20. With pre-selected chemicals or dyes in add tank 24, uniform additions are automatically made by the opening of valve 30 permitting feed line 26 to discharge pressurized liquor directly into the add tank. The material in add tank 24 will be flushed by the introduction of the bath and mixing thereof continues until the liquid level reaches the uppermost part of syphon tube 34 upon which the syphoning action begins and the contents of tank 24 are drawn through the syphon tu-be down into the expansion tank 18. In order to obtain a high flow rate, valve 32 can be shut off when valve 30 is opened so that all fiow through line 22 is diverted directly into tank 24. If the flow through line 26 is execessive, excess liquid will wash through overflow pipe 36 back into expansion tank 18.

The concentrated material which is in the add tank 24 at the time of addition is diluted by the liquor coming from the kier before it leaves the add tank and goes into the expansion tank. If valve 32 is opened partially it can be seen that a second dilution will take place before the add material reaches the kier. It can also be seen that the material already in the expansion tank when the syphoning action begins can further dilute the add material two or three times before it goes to the bottom of expansion tank and into the suction side of the pump. Also, since the amount of liquid leaving kier 12 equals the amount of liquid entering pump 14, a gradual dilution of the con centrated add material is taking place. Once the add material reaches the main circulation within the pump and kier a further dilution takes place, since only a small amount is being introduced to the suction side of the pump by comparison with its overall pumping capacity. Thus, there is another gradual dilution taking place before the concentrated add material reaches the packaged yarn. It can be seen that the invention requires no means to control the flow of the concentrated material into the package machine since there are several dilutions taking place which prevent the introduction of concentrated materials too rapidly into a system.

When valve 30 is turned off at the completion of the add cycle, it is not necessary to drain tank 24 because the syphon action will continue leaving the tank in a relatively clean condition since there has previously been a homogeneous blending of the materials with the bath so there are no concentrated materials left in tank 24 and lines 34 and 19. In conventional systems, it was necessary to have some device which would ascertain when the tank was empty, especially when the tank was remotely mounted. It is not necessary to have a device of that nature with the invention since it always empties itself upon completion of the programmed add cycle, and since no flushing is required it does not, as in the case of a manual or semi-manual operation, require the attention of an operator at any time.

When valve 30 is closed, valve 32 is opened wide so that there is a continuous circulation through bypass line 28 and feed line 19. This action continues to wash down any material left in line 19 diluting them and bringing them to at least the lowest concentration present in the system. It should be understood that the diagram in FIGURE 1 is schematic only and that the physical installation is such that line 19 may have several horizontal and vertical elbows and curves which make important the washing thereof after the add cycle is completed. Therefore, the recirculation of liquor through by pass line 28 and feed line 19, after the add cycle, avoids the need for water flushing line 19 as was needed in the past. Further-more, materials in the dye bath proper are generally of a nature that will continue to clean the lines better than ordinary water and certainly at less cost than other chemical materials which must be thrown away. The add tank 24 need not be extensively washed because of the efficient dilution that takes place with each add cycle. For this reason, materials can be added to the packaged dye machine without the introduction of excess amounts of liquor which would upset the equilibrium conditions.

The alternate system of FIGURE 2 is similar to that described above except line 22 has its input side coupled to the output of pump 14, and an additional line 23 taps the top of kier 12 to supply additional diluting liquor to expansion tank 18. Not only does line 23 enhance dilution uniformity but it also serves to bleed off unwanted vapors from the kier dome. Also, the supply from the pump output to line 22 is steady by reason of the uniform pressure head developed by the pump.

The operation and advantages of this alternate system is readily understood from the foregoing.

Thus there ha been described a new and improved system for adding concentrated dye materials to a dyeing machine of the type described. It can be seen that the invention adapts itself particularly to programmed automated control since it is only necessary to open and close valves 30 and 32 without any consideration of analog values such as flow rates and the like. Also, the lack of need for flushing the containers or lines makes attractive the automated use of the invention since it is unnecessary for a man to observe whether or not the lines or tanks are clean enough for the next add. The series of thorough dilutions make it possible to put dry materials into the add tank which will mix thoroughly with the circulating bath before being fed to the expansion tank. In this way, it is unnecessary to first dissolve certain dyes before adding the same to the system thereby eliminating another introduction of excess liquid. Further, with the superior dilution accomplished by the invention, additions may be made to dyeing operations faster than have been possible in the past thus permitting increased production as well as an increase in the quality of the dyed yarn.

What is claimed is:

1. A dyeing system including a dyeing machine, a pump system for establishing a main high pressure bath circulation through the machine, said pump system having a suction inlet, an add tank, an expansion tank arranged below the add tank and connected to feed its contents to the pump system inlet, an expansion tank feed line extending from said add tank to the expansion tank, the improvement comprising a circulating line connected to remove a part of the pressurized bath from the main circulation and to feed the same to the add tank, an add tank bypass line connected to remove bath liquid from said circulating line and main circulation and feed the same to the expansion tank feed line, and means for delivering the contents of the add tank to the expansion tank feed line.

2. A system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said last mentioned means com-prises a syphon tube with its input end arranged to draw from near the bottom of the add tank and its output end feeding the expansion tank feed line and having an upper part above the input and output syphon tube ends and below the top of the add tank.

3. A system as set forth in claim 2 further comprising an overflow tube delivering liquid content of the add tank to the expansion tank feed line whenever said content reaches a predetermined level above the upper part of the syphon tube.

4. A system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a first valve controlling flow from said circulating line into said add tank and a second valve controlling flow through said bypass line, said valves being one of manually and automatically controlled.

5. A system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said add tank is located remote from said expansion tank.

6. A system as set forth in claim 2 further comprising a sump formed in the bottom of the add tank beneath the syphon tube input end.

7. A method of adding chemicals, dyestuffs, or other material to a dyeing machine which includes a pump system for circulating a dye bath under pressure, the improvement comprising depositing the add material in an add tank, removing a part of the bath from the machine and feeding the same to the add tank where it mixes with the add material, subsequently feeding the contents of the add tank through an expansion tank feed line to an expasion tank where further mixing takes place, and feeding the contents of the expansion tank to the main circulating bath at the same volume rate at which the first mentioned part of the bath was removed from the machine, and after the step of removing the contents from the add tank washing the expansion tank feed line free of contaminants by feeding additional bath liquid from the machine through the expansion tank feed line.

8. A method as set forth in claim 7 wherein the expansion tank contains bath liquid when the contents of the add tank are first delivered thereto so that the add material is further diluted before entering the machine.

9. A method as set forth in claim 7 further comprising feeding bath liquid to the expansion tank feed line at the same time the contents of the add tank are fed to the feed line.

10. A method as set forth in claim 7 wherein the liquid level in the add tank must reach a predetermined height before the contents thereof are first fed to the expansion tank feed line.

11. A method as set forth in claim 10 wherein prior to feeding bath liquid to the add tank, establishing a continuous outside bath circulation from the machine through the expansion tank feed line, the expansion tank and back to the machine, and wherein the rate of liquid bath delivery to the expansion tank feed line is reduced when the feeding of bath liquid to the add tank begins.

12. A dyeing system including a dyeing machine, a pump system for establishing a main high pressure bath circulation through the machine, said pump system having a suction inlet, an add tank in which dyeing material can be deposited, an expansion tank arranged below the add tank and connected to feed its cotents to the pump system inlet, an expansion tank feed line extending from said add tank to the expansion tank, the improvement comprising a circulating line connected to remove a part of the pressurized bath from the main circulation and to feed the same to the add tank, and means for delivering the contents of the add tank to the expansion tank feed line upon the contents thereof reaching a predetermined level within the add tank, and an additional line coupled to tap the :main circulation for feeding bath liquid to the expansion tank.

13. A system as set forth in claim 12 wherein said circulating line has an injut coupled to the pump output and the additional line has an input coupled to the dyeing machine.

14. A system as set forth in claim 12 further comprising an add tank bypass line connected to remove bath liquid from said circulating line and feeding the same to the expansion tank feed line.

15. A system as set forth in claim 14 wherein said means comprises a syphon tube with its input end arranged to draw from near the bottom of the add tank and its output end feeding the expansion tank feed line and having an upper part above the input and output syphon tube ends and below the top of the add tank.

16. A system as set forth in claim 15 further comprising an overflow tube delivering liquid content of the add tank to the expansion tank feed line whenever said content reaches a predetermined level above the upper part of the syphon tube.

17 A system as set forth in claim 14 further comprising a first valve controlling flow from said circulating line into said add tank and a second valve controlling flow through said bypass line, said valves being one of manually and automatically controlled.

18. A system as set forth in claim 12 wherein said add tank is located remote from said expansion tank.

19. A system as set forth in claim 15 further comprising a sump formed in the bottom of the add tank beneath the syphon tube input end.

20. A method of adding chemicals, dyestuffs, or other trnaterial to a dyeing machine which includes a pump system for establishing a main circulating dye bath under pressure, the improvement comprising depositing the add material in an add tank, removing bath liquid from the main circulating bath and feeding the same to the add tank where it mixes with and dilutes the add tmaterial, subsequently feeding the contents of the add tank through an expansion tank feed line to an expansion tank where further mixing takes place, and feeding the contents of the expansion tank to the main circulating bath, and after the step of removing the contents from the add tank, washing the expansion tank feed line free of contaminants by feeding additional bath liquid from the main circulating bath through the expansion tank feed line.

21. A method as set forth in claim 20 wherein the expansion tank contains bath liquid when the contents of the add tank are first delivered ther to so that the add material is further diluted before entering the main circulating bath.

22. A method as set forth in claim 20 further comprising feeding bath liquid to the expansion tank feed line at the same time the contents of the add tank are fed to the feed line.

23. A method as set forth in claim 20 wherein the liquid level in the add tank reaches a predetermined height before the contents thereof are first fed to the expansion tank feed line.

24. A method as set forth in claim 23 wherein prior to feeding bath liquid to the add tank, establishing a continuous outside bath circulation from the machine through the expansion tank feed line, the expansion tank and back to the machine, and wherein the rate of liquid bath delivery to the expansion tank feed line is reduced when the feeding of bath liquid to the add tank begins.

25. A method as set forth in claim 20 wherein said first step of removing includes tapping bath liquid from the top of the machine and feeding the same to the add tank.

26. A method as set forth in claim 20 wherein said first step of removing includes diverting a part of the pump output and feeding the same to the add tank.

27. A method as set forth in claim 26 further including tapping bath liquid from the machine and feeding 7 8 the same directly to the expansion tank to further dilute FOREIGN PATENTS the contents thereof before 1t reaches the pump rnput. 319,189 3/1957 Switzerland.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,225,350 12/1940 Rankin 68189 US. Cl. X.R. 2,630,002 3/1953 Converse et a1. 68207 207 5 WILLIAM I. PRICE, Primary Examiner. 

